1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern output apparatus such as a printing apparatus or the like and a pattern output method, in which data received from an external apparatus such as a host computer or the like is developed as output information and converted to bit map pattern data of a page unit and the bit map pattern data is output.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, such type of printing apparatus uses a general method whereby bit map pattern data of one page is developed into an image memory on the basis of input data (printer language such as a PDL or the like comprising a character code, a control code, and the like) received from a host computer and the result of the development in a image memory is converted to the video signal and is transferred to a printer mechanism section.
A printing apparatus in which a plurality of print command systems are supported in one printing apparatus is generally well known.
It is also known that separately from input data, form data is transmitted from the host computer and is registered in the printing apparatus and the registered form is overlapped with the input data, thereby forming an output form overlay pattern.
In this instance, in the case where the form to be overlaid on each page is the same form, when the form data is transmitted for every page, it takes up data transfer time of the host computer. Therefore, generally, before the input data is transmitted, the form data is registered in a memory (for example, RAM) of the printing apparatus and the form data which has once been registered is held until a deletion is instructed by the host computer or a power source is turned off. By merely instructing that the form is to be overlaid on the input data at any time, it is possible to easily overlap the input data and the form, and to form and output a form overlay pattern.
Further, by adding a secondary memory device such as a hard disc or the like to the printing apparatus and by registering form data in the secondary memory device, a number of types of form data may be registered into the printing apparatus. Even if the power source is turned off, the registered form data is not lost.
Consequently, for the form data which has once been registered in the secondary memory device, by merely inputting a command (instruction information) to instruct a form to be overlaid on the input data which is sent from the host computer, it is possible to easily overlap the received input data and the form stored in the secondary memory device and to produce and output a form overlay pattern at any time irrespective of the on/off operation of the power source.
A method whereby the form data is registered into the secondary memory device and a printing process is executed as mentioned above is becoming a generally known method.
In such a printing apparatus, in the case where the input data and the registered form are overlaid and the form overlay pattern is produced and output, generally, command systems (for example, types PDL) of the input data and the form have to be identical.
That is, the command system of the input data and the command system of the form have to be coincident.
The conventional apparatus, therefore, has a problem such that it is impossible to overlap the input data of a command system (A) and the form of a command system (B) and to produce and output a form overlay pattern.
Namely, for example, there is a problem such that although the printing apparatus has the command system (A) which is excellent for a text process (character process) and a command system (B) which is excellent in a graphic process, the result (form overlay pattern) in which the input data and the form are overlaid cannot be output by utilizing merits of those two command systems.